New Proposal Could Ban Motor Boats on Part of Columbia River

A Richland nurse has turned in a petition to the city council with 170 signatures trying to ban motorized boats on the shallow side of the Columbia River between Nelson Island and Leslie Groves Park.

That nurse, Lisa Bartholomew, came up with the idea after a motor boat flew by her just feet away near the island, according to reports.

"Last Saturday I went paddle boarding with my daughter and a friend in this area. We had two incidents of large motorized boats creating wakes greater than 2 feet high and coming within 10 feet of us while we were on our boards" Bartholomew says in her online petition.

If the city agrees to the petition, then the the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard will be responsible to making it official.

David McDermott, Natural Resources Manager for the Army Corp's Walla Walla District says that "we hear her". He has been working with Bartholomew on how his agency will get approval through the chains of command.

There are times of the year where the water between the park and the island is shallow enough for people to walk in between. That makes it very dangerous for boats as well as a magnet for swimmers, paddle boarders, and kayaks.